Faced with competitive pressure in the Chinese market, Lam Dong's dragon fruit commodity sector is tightening the management of growing area codes and promoting sustainable chain linkages.

Bottlenecks from the export market

Records from key growing zones in Lam Dong province demonstrate that dragon fruit production and consumption activities are intertwining multiple opportunities and challenges, particularly in the export channel to China the province's largest agricultural consumer market.

According to Mr. Tran Duc Thien, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Lam Dong province, the entire province's dragon fruit area currently reaches approximately 25,802 hectares. Within this, the area yielding harvest accounts for 25,787 hectares, with output estimated at 318,000 tons as of the second quarter of 2026, fulfilling 55% of the annual plan. Regarding the structure, white-flesh dragon fruit remains dominant with 65% of the area, while the remaining 35% consists of red-flesh and pink-purple varieties which are being expanded to satisfy new market tastes.

To satisfy technical standards from the Chinese side, the local agricultural sector has stepped up the application of advanced production processes. To date, over 80% of the dragon fruit area (approximately 20,900 hectares) has installed water-saving irrigation systems. Safe cultivation has also been deployed systematically with more than 9,272 hectares achieving VietGAP certification (accounting for nearly 36% of the total area). In addition, the province possesses 540 hectares of dragon fruit meeting GlobalGAP standards and more than 124 hectares produced under organic orientations.

Notably, the issuance of growing area codes and packing facility codes for exported dragon fruit in Lam Dong has achieved a very high rate. The entire province has been granted 571 growing area codes for exported dragon fruit (accounting for 97.72% of the province's total dragon fruit area) along with 282 packing facility codes. The Chinese market alone owns 103 growing area codes and 253 packing facility codes, holding a core role in the locality's exports. Other markets such as the US, Australia, Japan... currently have 468 growing area codes and 29 packing facility codes. This standardization helps local dragon fruit export smoothly and receive protection under the "Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit" geographical indication.

Regarding the commercial picture, Mr. Bien Tan Tai, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Lam Dong province, stated that the province's dragon fruit exports in the first 6 months of 2026 maintained stability. Enterprises exported approximately 22,000 tons, achieving a turnover of 15.64 million USD. China, India, and Australia remain the main markets, in which fresh dragon fruit accounts for up to 95% of the output. However, compared to the same period last year, the export value decreased slightly because purchasing prices went down, averaging 700 USD/ton.

Analyzing the Chinese market more deeply, Mr. Huynh Canh, Chairman of the Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association, stated that administrative and legal procedures when exporting to China from the beginning of the year until now have been quite smooth. Even so, competitive pressure from other tropical fruits and rising logistics costs have pushed domestic dragon fruit prices down low. Although the output exported to China remains steady at around 30,000 tons/month, due to heavy reliance on the traditional market market channel, the selling price only fluctuates between 8,000 and 10,000 VND/kg (for white-flesh), leaving growers with almost no profit.

Sharing this reality, Mr. Nguyen Minh (Ham Liem commune), owner of a 1-hectare white-flesh dragon fruit orchard, stated that orchard owners have had to hold on very hard over the past few months. The prices of fertilizers, plant protection drugs, and electricity for off-season flower-induction lighting have fluctuated continuously, while the purchasing prices of traders for export to China at times dropped sharply. Due to not yet participating in a linked chain with an off-take contract, his family primarily sells in bulk to small-scale warehouses, thus bearing many risks before the volatility of the market.

Mr. Nguyen Minh's story is also the common equation that Lam Dong's agricultural sector is seeking to resolve. Currently, production linkages according to value chains in the locality remain loose, and the proportion of agricultural products consumed through linked contracts is low. The majority of citizens still sell raw goods through independent traders, resulting in unstable income when the market fluctuates.

Forecasting upcoming trends, Mr. Bien Tan Tai argued that dragon fruit exports to China will maintain a steady pace until August and turn brighter starting September 2026. At that time, China's domestic supply will gradually decrease, and this market will begin to enter the peak year-end shopping season. Sharing the same viewpoint, Mr. Huynh Canh informed that currently, the price of premium-grade dragon fruit bound for China has shown signs of rising back to the level of 15,000 - 20,000 VND/kg due to a temporary shortage in early-season supply.

Synchronous solutions heading toward sustainable value chains

To resolve existing shortcomings and limitations, and efficiently execute the cultivation sector development plan to 2030 (targeting the goal of stabilizing the dragon fruit raw material zone at 25,000 hectares with an output of 750,000 tons), representatives of the Department of Industry and Trade and the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Lam Dong province have put forward multiple fundamental solutions.

Regarding production management, Mr. Tran Duc Thien stated that the province will step up data digitization through management software for growing area codes and packing facilities. Concurrently, functional authorities will guide enterprises to update dossiers on the CIFER system to ensure complete matching with data from the General Administration of Customs of China, avoiding risks of bottlenecks at border gates. Post-inspection work will also be tightened through periodic monitoring, sudden inspections, and sampling to analyze plant protection drug residues. Units violating technical processes or committing fraud by impersonating codes will be strictly suspended or have their codes revoked.

Regarding market strategy, Mr. Bien Tan Tai recommended that enterprises and cooperatives need to proactively carry out trade promotion, introducing products 3 to 6 months prior to the harvest season to secure orders and output volumes with Chinese partners early.

Units need to join hands to build sustainable raw material zones and tightly control quality to ensure stable supply, avoiding spontaneous area expansion that leads to oversupply. Applying reasonable crop-season regulation techniques to distribute output into the year-end period the time when the Chinese market possesses large purchasing power is a highly necessary solution.

The Lam Dong Department of Industry and Trade will continue to support enterprises and cooperatives to publicize dragon fruit products through specialized trade fairs and online channels. In parallel with firmly maintaining the Chinese market, the province will also diversify consumption channels by introducing dragon fruit into intra-provincial supermarket systems, e-commerce platforms, and stepping up connections with large domestic markets such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the South Central Coast - Central Highlands region. Expanding the domestic market will help relieve the pressure of relying on the export channel, opening a more sustainable path for dragon fruit farmers.

Source: Bao Nong nghiep va Moi truong